Legend: * Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this person/place/thing.** see Genealogy Notes below

Bellhaven. May 14.1911.

Mr. N.C. Draper, Grand Coulee. Sask.

Dear Noah, -- Well here I am againwith some more of my scribblingI have just come home fromChurch. Mr. Fletcher of KeswickChristian Church preached.To-day was Mothers dayEverybody was supposed towear a white flower. I was home with Maud Bruels to-night for teaGrover Morrison took her homefrom Church. He was driving acolt and say I just had tojump for my life to get out of the rig.

2.

Oh Noah I got your letter last nightasking me to try and think that I wouldbe able to go home with you the first ofAugust if you came down. Oh Noah I do sowish you could come, but just think, of my leaving Ma with so much extra work that she willhave this summer building the barn.I believe if our barn had not of burned Iwould have said yes, without any hesitation.It is'nt the lack of love for you (on my part)that keeps me here. Now Noah what do yousay? Considering all. Oh if you were only hereso that I could talk and tell you everything andjust how I feel about it. Stanley Mahoney and his May were up toChurch to-night. I heard to day Morn Yorkewas to married in June. Mrs. Deverell has been visiting at Mrs. Bruelsa couple of days. I guess she feels awfully bad about Herb's death. We heard yesterday that there hadaveraged a barn burning each day thisweek except Saturday. Ours Monday, Rialton's on Tuesday. they caught fire in just thesame place. Riddels on Wed, one nearNewmarket on Thursday, and a fire onFriday we heard was Moleses barn.

We got Eleven Hundredinsurance. Everyone has been sogood. It shows you who yourtrue friend's are. No we have notkilled that dog yet. It was'ntthe dog's fault. Manuel was teasinghim. Uncle Emanuel is very sick we are afraid he'll not recover.Miss Hunt speaks of you each timeI see her. Well how do you like batching italone. I often think of you, andwonder what you are doing. hahawether you are mixing bread or not.Ethel would do your baking foryou would'nt she? I guess you cantell by my writing about what mypen is like, it scratches. Everyoneis well here in body. but ratherdown hearted since the fire. I thinkI must close for this time. with alllove I say good-Bye from your Sweetheart,x x x x x x x x (Ethel Nelson)

Genealogy Notes

This week's genealogy notes are in 2 parts:1. The Deverell's2. Uncle Emanuel

The Deverell's

A few weeks ago, I talked about the death of Herbert Deverell under Genealogy Notes in the post, 1911 Courtship: May 1 Dear Noah, and how many circumstances matched - and didn't match - Noah's mother, Sarah Sophia Deverell.

In that post, I stated the facts as I know them and then said,

but they can't be siblings for the following reasons:1. they share the same birth year but were born a couple months apart2. their parents have the same names & jobs, but not the same birth years3. if they were siblings, William would show up on Sarah's 1861 census.

So what relation are Charles and Herbert to Sarah Sophia?

On the right is the obituary of Elder W. Deverell taken from The Newmarket EraMay 11, 1888, Page 2.

The copy reads:Another aged pilgrim has fallen in theperson of Eld. W. Deverell who departedthis life April 22, 1888, at the advancedage of 81 years. Deceased was taken illwhile on a visit at the home of his son-in-law Mrs. D. Draper, but his illness was of short duration...

According to that, Sophia's father, a minister, died at her own home since she was married to David Draper.

However, if you read the final line of this obituary, it says he left a wife and six children to mourn his loss.

The crux of the above summation is that last line because according to the family tree, Sophia had 5 siblings. So taking that, the above questions, and the fact that William Deverell is a very common name into consideration, the other William Henry Deverell family didn't fit with ours.

Update: Well, guess what? I was searching for family names in The Newmarket Era this week, and found this little, notation in a 1900 edition...

BOOM! And there it is - the missing piece. Louie is Noah's sister. Their mother is Sarah Sophia Deverell. But how does William Deverell of Toronto fit in the picture if Sarah already has 5 siblings already? I went back to Elder W. Deverall's obit and read that last line again. This time I realized that it doesn't say he has 6 children... it says he's leaving 5 of them behind. What if one had already died? I checked the family tree again and wouldn't you know it... Frances Jane Deverell died in 1876, 12 yrs before. With her passing, that left a widow and 6 children to mourn his loss, including both Sophia and William, so yes, he is her brother.

As for the dates, I've discovered that Wm Deverell of Toronto was born one year before Sophia, so he is, in fact, one year older than her. As for the parents' dates, I have to assume mine are right - at least for Elder William Deverell based on his obituary.

And that explains why Ethel felt it necessary to send Herbert's obituary with her letter.

Uncle Emanuel

In this week's letter, Ethel mentions that her Uncle Emanuel is very sick. When she first mentions him back in Courtship Letter Apr 9 Dear Noah, I thought her Uncle Emanuel lived close to them in Belhaven because he was the one who told her father not to sell the farm.

***Update... Uncle Emanuel is the one who lives close to Belhaven! Uncle Emanuel Nelson (of Ontario) is the brother of Henry Nelson (of Iowa) which makes him the uncle of Ethel's dad, James Nelson. I was confusing Uncle Emanuel Nelson with Emanuel Francis Nelson (son of Henry Nelson and Eliza Crouch) who is down in Iowa. Clear as mud?

Legend: * Look under the Categories/Labels in the right side column for more posts on this person/place/thing.** see Genealogy Notes below

Belhaven. May 1st 1911.

Mr N. C. Draper Grand Coulee. Sask.

Dear Noah,- I missed your letter lastnight, but I will be looking for oneto-morrow night. I sometimesget them on Monday. Say I just wish youwere here to hear our Englishman talk, He gave us girls agreat old lecture last night(Perhaps we need it eh) Well Iwould rather have you lectureus anyway.

2.

I was down to Mr RobtDavidson's yesterday. Theyhad a barn raising. Therewere about 125 men thereThere little boy has pneumoniaGlen) Manuel got bit on Fridaynight by our dog. It is tornto the bone on the one sideof his leg. Say: did you get thatletter, if you did not I thinkit must have gone astrayfor I posted one to you thatweek. You may depend Iwill write if I possibly can.

3.

For I know just how I look foryour letters. I don't know butI don't believe you are quiteas foolish as I be.You say absence make theheart grow fonder. I think bythe time I see you again thatlove surely will reign, for I thot itdid before. I have no objectionsto how strong my love growsto thee in your absence.But oh! I wish it was justso you could run in once ina while. Is your motherstill thinking of coming down?Wish you were coming to.But never mind it wont belong after I hope until I see you.I am awfully glad you sent your

4.

photo. It don't let me for get you.I tell you there was no danger of meforgetting you. The card is handledquite a bit. How are all the folks up there.There is quite a bit of sicknessaround here just at present. 4 casesof pneumonia. It was Mrs Sedorethat was sick at Sedore's they areout now & Hugh is working here. I think Pa has about ten acresto sow yet. I don't know wether Robt can play"I don't know why I love you but I do" trueI think I will wait and ask you.instead of asking Robt. Pa has told Robttwice for to leave, if he don't soonpay attention I think Pa will betempted to walk with him to the roadunless he soon does better. hope yourman is better than ours. Well I thinkI am nearly to the closing point for thistime. I am the same as B 4. with all lovex lots x this x time x eh x from Ethel Nelson x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x x

P.S. I am going to send youthe piece that was in thepaper about Herb Deverell'sdeath. Suppose you have heardof it before this reaches youbut perhaps not got the littlepiece of the paper. It was in theNews. I wrote my letter Sunday.So to-day when I had it readyto post I just happen to thinkthat I intended to send it to you.So here I am, finishingup on Monday. It has beenraining nearly all day.I guess I am making my P.S.rather long. so Good-Bye Ethel

Herbert Deverill Fasted and Died from WeaknessWe clip the following from the To-ronto Star. Mr. Deverill was a native of Ravenshoe. Herbert Deverill took sick with the grip this winter and refusing to give up and go to bed continued work ev- ery day in Medd's grocery store in Gerrard street east. On an occa- sion of a former illness, due to dia- betes, he had obtained good results from a prolonged fast of 21 days, and he became firmly convinced of the efficacy of that treatment. He tried it again for this grip and after fifteen days, during which he grewsteadily weaker, he died at his home at 107 Chester avenue. The funeral will be from his widowed mother's house at 291 Palmerston avenue on Monday. Herbert Deverill was well known in New Ontario. He was the manager Revillon Brothers' store at McDou- gall Chutes for some time, and con- ducted stores of his own at Abilibi Crossing and at Corcoran. It is said that he strained his vitality by too heavy and too prolonged work. When the prospectors came in for outfits, they were always in a hurry and Deverill would frequently work all night. He worked all day carry- ing 100 pound bags of flour and sugar half a mile to the boat from his store, or from the railway station.He was never a heavy or robust man, but on the termination of his former long fast, he became very fleshy and continued so for a consid- erable period. He came to Toronto on the death of his father about a year ago to settle the estate, and he still owned a general stock of goods in the north country. He is survived by a wife and three children.

* * *

Genealogy Notes

I found the newspaper clipping about Herb Deverell that Ethel mentions in her letter and have posted it above. But as it happens with many things in genealogy, there's a mystery here as well...

Noah's mother is *Sarah Sophia Deverell and Noah's father is David Draper. Both Sarah and David were born and raised in Belhaven in North Gwillimbury Township. But in 1867 when David was 25 and Sarah was 21, they went all the way to Haldimand Township which is around the western tip of Lake Ontario and almost directly across from Erie, Pennsylvania, to get married. Why so far away? I can't find any record of family living there. Or did they elope?

The following info on Sarah Sophia's family is taken from the 1861 Canada census for North Gwillimbury:Father - William H Deverell b1808 in England, Occupation: Minister Mother - Fanny b1815 in Ireland

Residence: Conc 3 Lot 26 Ravenshoe, North Gwillimbury

Note: the following children were all born in the above house.

Mary b1840Robert b1855

Sarah b1846Letitia b1857

Frances b1848Thomas b1860

However, there was another Deverell family living in the same township and here is their information according to the 1881 Canada census for North Gwillimbury:Father - William H Deverell b1814 in Ontario (English heritage), MinisterMother - Fanny b1818 in Ontario (English heritage)

Residence: Conc 4 lot 1 Queensville, North Gwillimbury

This William H and Fanny live with their son's family:William Deverell b1846 and his wife Euphemia b1848And among their many children born in Queensville are:- Charles b1869- Herbert b1876

A note here... C Deverell is mentioned in the letter of Feb 4 Dear Ethel when Noah talks of going up to Burke's Falls and seeing him having a rest. But according to the obit, he came down from the 'north country' soon after that.

So, we finally found Charles Deverell and Herbert Deverell and from the above information, it looks like they could be Sarah Sophia's nephews thereby making them Noah's cousins. And that would explain why Ethel is sending Herbert's obituary.

Except for a few things... it would also mean their father - William Deverell b1846 - would be Sarah Sophia's brother, right? But they can't be siblings for the following reasons:1. they share the same birth year but were born a couple months apart2. their parents have the same names & jobs, but not the same birth years3. if they were siblings, William would show up on Sarah's 1861 census.

So far on this journey of looking through Ethel's Historical Treasure Box, I've posted letters, post cards and other papers pertaining to Noah Clement Draper and Ethel Isabell Draper from their childhood to Feb 1911. However, none of the correspondence has been between Noah and Ethel themselves. From what we've read, no one has mentioned anything romantic happening between Noah and Isabell, yet in the letter I'm presenting today - the first in this series - you can clearly see that Noah considers Ethel 'his girl'. And so the courtship year of Noah Clement Draper and Ethel Isabell Nelson begins...Author of Letter: Noah Clement Draper b1887Dated: February 4, 1911Addressed to: Miss E. Nelson, Bellhaven, OntarioMailed from: Orillia, OntarioRelationship: CourtingProfession: FarmerWriting instrument: Fine point pen, Black ink,Written on: 5 1/2" x 9 1/2" thin note paper bearing the leaderhead New Daly House

Mentioned in the letter: - the Ontario towns of Belhaven, Orillia and Burk's Falls (see map)- C. Deverell (unsure who he is, but Noah's mother is Sarah Sophia Deverell)

Miss E. Nelson,

Orillia, Ont.Feb 4 1911

Belhaven Ont.Dear Ethel, Well, I have got this far on myroad to Burks Falls and expectto go on at 4.30. Am having a bigtime in this local option townand will be glad to get out of it.Well, this is the first deacent day we have had this week how is itdown there. Dont expect I will stay long up here & will be back at the old standFriday night for better or for worse. Ha ha. Was at two shoes in Toronto. say theywere fine. Met C. Deverell up here. heis having a rest. Well Ethel I dontknow anything to write that Icant say better, so I will ring off. So be a good little girl untillI get back. After that I'll make you Good Bye xxx N.C. Draper.

Red dots signify Belhaven, Orillia, and Burk's Falls, all in the Province of Ontario, Canada.

The town of Burk's Falls has been mentioned once already in Ethel's Treasure Box and that was with Percy's postcard to Noah on Dec 25th, 1908. As a farmer, Noah would've been needed on the farm. Perhaps he spent the off-season logging? That's a long way from Saskatchewan (map on postcard page) to Belhaven, however... unless you had a special girl you could see on weekends. As for the C. Deverell mentioned in the letter, I've spent too much time searching for him and the closest I've gotten is with a C. as the middle initial. So for now, he will be a piece of the puzle. Next week, we'll see Ethel's first response to Noah in this courtship year.